WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

EC (name not published here but was, of course ,provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $1550.00.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

I would like to post a warning regarding Shakespeare Squared and I am
not sure how to proceed. I completed a freelance job in June 2008 and I
am owed still owed 1550.00. I received small checks throughout thebeginning of this year but I have not received anything since August 2009.

Thank you,

EC

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/5/10

EC states she is still owed $1500.

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/7/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

The writer EC (above) reports she was paid only HALF of what she is owed on 5/6/10.

I received the rest of the balance today--I will cash those tomorrow and
let you know if they clear. Thank you Angela for all the work you did
for us-- I guarantee we would not have gotten this money without your help!!

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

MK (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $500.00.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

I did work on S2's HSW/Unilever account in fall '09 and have yet to be
paid the $500 they owe me.

I have been a successful freelance proofreader/copy editor for 10 years
and they are the only[b] com[b]pany t[/b][/b]hat has not paid me!

Thanks for all you do for us professional communicators!!

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/5/10

MC states she is still owed $248.

MK

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/7/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

AR (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $976.00 and that you hired her when
you already had past-due accounts with other freelancers.

See complete allegation under my signature.

We are recommending your victims contact your local police
department about this situation because this appears to have become a
pattern with your business. Continuing to solicit and run "employment"
ads for workers that you can't pay is making the situation perpetually
worse, and appears to be creating even more victims.

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

Our report on your firm is scheduled for inclusion in our
publication next Wednesday, though it may appear in our Whispers and
Warnings forum before that time.

If there is no response to these allegations, WritersWeekly.com will
still publish this complaint, but our readers will not be able to
read your side of the story.

We appreciate your prompt response in this matter.

Angela Hoy
Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
ALLEGATION
~~~~~~~~~~~

AR wrote:
Hi Angela,
I am an editor who worked on health and beauty articles for
Shakespeare Squared in August and September 2009. They owe me about
$1,000 (unpaid invoices from August and September, respectively). When I
email to ask where my payment is, I get the same song and dance about
"catching up" etc. Has anyone considered taking the company to small
claims court? I'm very frustrated because I worked very hard (mostly
weekends) turning these articles around, and they were quite demanding
with regard to quality, etc. I wasted a lot of time that I could have
spent working on other projects for which I would've been paid! This is
not right! I just wanted to add my complaint to the list.
Best,
AR

Hi Angela,
I submitted 2 invoices, one for August ($440) and one for September $536
(976); the project was set to run July 2009 through December 2009, but I
stopped working on files and turned in notice the first week in October
because Beth Carroll contacted me and said that on my first invoice, I
charged an extra dollar per page---basically, they didn't want to
pay for editors to work on the Source pages, which I felt was unfair,
considering I still had to edit them. Something was starting to smell
rotten here! They said payment would arrive 60 days from invoice
submission, but that obviously hasn't happened. Looking back through
this thread, it appears that they've not been paying freelancers for
awhile ... so when they hired me (July 2009), they knew they wouldn't be
able to pay me, at least not in 60 days. Is that theft? If I wrote
checks off of a checking account with no money in it, I believe that
would be considered a crime ... what's the difference here?

Best,AR

~~~~~

[b]UPDATE: 5/5/10[/b]

AR states she is still owed $926.00 by Shakespeare Squared.

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/7/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared, the company started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

CD (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $1126.00 and that you hired her when
you already had past-due accounts with other freelancers.

See complete allegation under my signature.

We are recommending your victims contact your local police
department about this situation because this appears to have become a
pattern with your business. Continuing to solicit and run "employment"
ads for workers that you can't pay is making the situation perpetually
worse, and appears to be creating even more victims.

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

I have not heard from you in two weeks. I have spoken with other
freelancers and learned that your company has neglected to pay people as
far back as August. I have to tell you that this is extremely alarming
and frustrating. I consider it highly unprofessional that you would be
struggling to make payments to freelancers and continue to contract work
to additional freelancers.

I would like to know when you plan to remit payment for work that I have
completed, work that I believe you have already passed on to the your
client. My invoices total $1,126.00, with the first payment due October
26 and the final due December 25. You are not only are failing to pay
me, but you have in effect cost me money, because the time I spent on
your work was time that I could have spent on other projects, earning
income.

I understand that you are a business, dependent on other businesses for
your income, but you have an obligation to the people who do the work
for you. You contracted with me--and I'm gathering with many other
freelancers--and we have delivered the work in good faith. Our labor was
contracted to you, not to your client, and your company, not your
client, is responsible for paying us. Many freelancers network with one
another, and as it is, I do not feel that I could encourage anyone to
accept work from you in the future and will feel compelled to discourage
colleagues from contracting with you if you cannot fulfill your
financial obligations.

I apologize for the unpleasant nature of this email. I know you are one
employee in a larger operation, but I need for you to understand that I
take this very seriously--and you should, too. Your contract workers
deliver a product and a service to you, and they deserve to be
compensated for that. To not do so is not simply a matter of numbers on
spreadsheets. Your business practices impact people's lives, and it is
highly irresponsible and unethical to take your writers, editors and
other contractors and their labor for granted.

I would appreciate a prompt response, and will follow up by phone if I
do not hear from you.

Thank you,
CD

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/5/10

CD states she is still owed $1136 by Shakespeare Squared.

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/10/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

The writer CD (above) reports she was paid $1032 on 5/8/10 but that they paid her $104 less than her invoice "because apparently they don't pay for sourcing pages."

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

CB (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $782 and that you're giving her the
run-around, too.

It appears you hired (CB) after you already owed many other writers
money.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

Like several others on the forum, I've also gotten the runaround from
Shakespeare Squared regarding payment for freelance work. I invoiced on
12/16/09 for $782 for work that I finished back in early December, and
after multiple attempts at getting someone to tell me WHEN I will be
paid, I've gotten no real answer. I just contacted Kathy Bretz and
Juliet Altun and got a response from Kathy about the "tough economic
times" etc. and that she'll "try" to get a partial check out to me soon.
After 100+ days, being told that they'll "try" isn't good enough for me.

Thanks for shedding light on the frustrations so many have with
Shakespeare Squared! I can safely say I'll never work for them again.

CB

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/10/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

PR (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $400 and that you said offered to
pay her old invoice if she did additional work for you.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

Here's the last message I received from them after I responded to their
message about hiring a new project manager (I wrote that I found the
e-mail very offensive since they owed me money):

"We are hoping that this project will help us get back in the right
direction. Of course if you signed on we would be able to pay your old
invoice in an expedited manor as well as pay monthly for your PM
invoices. Just let me know."

PR

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/16/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

The writer PR (above) reports she was paid in full and the check has cleared.

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

RD (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $268.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

Hi, can I add myself to the list of complaints about Shakespeare
Squared? They owe me $268.00 for work I did in November of 2009. In
February, they told me that their "accounting software was down," which
sounded suspect to me. I've attached a text doc that shows the chain of
emails I had with accounts payable about this issue.

Thanks,
RD

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/7/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

SC (name not published here but was, of course, provided to the publisher)
alleges you owe her $1380.00. You hired her after you
already owed many other writers money.

See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

Over the course of the past eight months or so I've been watching as
complaint after complaint is posted to your Whispers and Warning section
in regard to Shakespeare Squared. Unfortunately, I've been fighting the
same payment battle with Shakespeare Squared on my own hoping to come to
some resolution. As just about anyone can now infer, I've gotten nowhere
as well. As for my own story, I completed $1380 worth of freelance
writing work for Shakespeare Squared from July 2009-October 2009 and
have never seen one single payment. I've exchanged email after email
with the Accounts Payable Department only to get the run around. I have
copied some of my emails below for your review.

First off, you will note back in January 2010 they promised to have a
repayment plan to me in February. On March 2, after my prompting, I was
told they didn't have a payment date. Then in mid-March (postmark on
envelope reads March 13, 2010) I received a letter in the mail stating
that, "We, at Shakespeare Squared, wanted to reach out and let you know
how much we appreciate everything you have done for our company....."
The letter, which was letterhead dated almost a month before as February
15, 2010, went onto to say they have not forgotten about me and still
anticipate paying outstanding invoices, however didn't have dates or
amounts. Honestly, the letter did nothing more than reinforce their
attempts to waste time and money that could have been spent on sending
me a check. I'd be happy to scan and send the letter as a PDF file to
you if you would like.

Additionally, I found this posting last night. It's another ad seeking
freelance writers for Shakespeare Squared dated April 29, 2010.

I had hoped to resolve this issue quietly and on my own, but now it
appears that my signed freelancers contact was only upheld on my end.
Therefore, please add me to the list of unpaid Shakespeare Squared writers.

Sincerely,
SC

~~~~~

UPDATE: 5/10/10

After three websites (Chicago Business, The Northbook Star and Media Bistro), published stories about Shakespeare Squared owing money to freelancers (one quoted their local police commander, who said he'd contacted the attorney general), Shakespeare Squared started sending out emails to victims, promising immediate payment.

The writer SC (above) reports she was paid $700 on 5/7/10. HOWEVER, SHE IS STILL OWED AN ADDITIONAL $680.00 AND HAS SINCE NOV. 2009.